Rovinj

Rovinj is the place with the least cloudy days in the Adriatic, and that''s the best possible welcome.
Rovinj archipelago counts 22 islands, St. Andrew and St Catherine are biggest and most beautiful. Town has two parts: Rovinj - Rovigno and Rovinj Village - Villa di Rovigno.
The islands and mainland from the islands of St. John to two Sisters, sea and underwater channel of Lim, Park Forest Punta Corrente, swamp Palud, Romualdo''s cave on the south side and canal Lim quarry, "Cave di Monfiorenzo" a geological "natural monument" are especially worthy to visit.

Trademark of Rovinj is St. Euphemia cathedral with the tower bell which stands above the city and its 15 000 inhabitants, national heritage since 1963.
The legend says that during a stormy night the marble coffin containing the remains of the Saint disappeared from Constantinople. In the same year (800) by a miracle it arrived at Rovinj. The local story says that the inhabitants tried tremendously hard to pull the coffin out from the sea all day. Finally, a young boy pulled it out with a pair of young calves. Another version of the story says that it was a poor widow who moved the coffin. The coffin is transferred within the walls and ground-fortress near the old church of St. George.
History
Ancient fortress Castrum Rubini is located at the site of today''s Church St. Euphemia, formerly the church of St. George. Despite the strong stone fortifications it was repeatedly devastated and burnt throughout the history.
Rovinj was developing an important maritime trade that was coming under increasing threat from piracy. In 1283 a pact was signed with the Venetian empire in exchange for protection, following the example of Porec, Umag and Novigrad. The city was fortified by two rows of walls with three town gates. The remaining town walls date from this period. Close to the pier one can find the old town gate Balbi''s Arch, dating from 1680, and a late-Renaissance clock tower. The city got its statutes in 1531. Its population grew and the town lived in relative prosperity. In 1654, Rovinj''s most striking monument, St Euphemia cathedral was begun.
In XVII and XVIII Century, Rovinj had the strongest shipbuilding, fishing and maritime activities in central Istria and the most important source of white and gray Istrian stone. During the Austrian rule, Rovinj developed in the industrial, maritime and cultural way. By Paris peace agreement 1947 Istria was annexed as part of the state of Yugoslavia until the 25th June 1991 the Republic of Croatia was proclaimed as sovereign and independent country.

What to see
The town itself was declared a cultural monument in 1963. The limited space in Rovinj led to the construction of narrow buildings, streets and small town squares. Of particular interest in this town centre are the characteristically designed chimneys.
The baptismal font of the Holy Spirit has been constructed in a heptagonal shape and is the oldest relic situated in the Lokva Square. The thirteenth century Romanesque church which houses the font is also interesting because of the detailed carvings of the transenna depicting scenes of Golgotha.
The Franciscan Monastery and church in De Amicis street were built at the beginning of the eighteenth century in Baroque style and contains a rich library and fascinating museum of sacral artifacts.
The Rovinj islands and mainland: These natural sights have been justly described as "outstanding scenic wonders," because of the pristine beauty of the indented coastline and its forests, consisting of pedunculate oak and Alpine pine trees. This area "of outstanding natural beauty" extends from St. Ivan promontory to Barbariga, including all the Rovinj islands and the mainland 500 meters from the shore line.
The castle on the island of St. Andrija was originally a Benedictine Monastery established in the sixth century AD. In the fifteenth century the Franciscan order added extensions and it was again refurbished at the end of the nineteenth century by Baron Hutterodt. The castle has now been converted into a hotel.
Dvigrad is a medieval town abandoned in the seventeenth century, and only its ruins remain, of which the most impressive are those of the church of St. Sofia. Dvigrad is 23 kilometers from Rovinj.
Rovinj holds the title of an Absolute winner of Croatian tourism of 2008, winning in the category of best tourist destinations and Croatian towns.
If you can feel it, we expect your "Greetings from Rovinj!"